The present disclosure relates to damping pressure pulses in a well system.
Treatment fluids can be injected into a subterranean formation for a variety of purposes, including to facilitate production of fluid resources from the formation. For example, in a hydraulic fracturing treatment, fracture treatment fluids are pumped into the formation through a wellbore at high pressure and high rate to cause the formation around the wellbore to fracture. The resulting fracture efficiently conducts fluids from a large area of the formation back to the wellbore. In an acid treatment, for example, an acid treatment fluid can be pumped through a wellbore into the formation, in connection with or apart from a fracturing treatment, to increase or restore the permeability of rock matrix. In a heated fluid treatment, heated treatment fluids, such as steam, can be pumped through a wellbore into the formation to reduce the viscosity of fluid resources in the formation, so that the resources can more freely flow into the wellbore and to the surface. In sweep injection treatment, sweep treatment fluids may be injected into one or more injection wellbores to drive fluid resources in the formation towards other wellbores. Other examples of treatments and treatment fluids exist.
In addition to or apart from use of treatment fluids, energy can be emitted in the subterranean zone via a downhole pressure pulse generator for a variety of purposes, including for fracturing or for facilitating fracturing the formation, and for stimulating the rock matrix of the formation to facilitate communication of treatment or other fluids through the formation. Other examples exist, and often the pressure pulse is applied in connection with another well treatment. The propagating energy is often quite strong, for example, creating pulses orders of magnitude of the pressure in the well system. Containing this magnitude of energy waves prevents damage of the downhole and surface well system and equipment and helps to concentrate the energy waves to the subterranean formation.